MST3K 504 - Secret Agent Super Dragon
The Movie Synopsis When an old colleague is killed, Secret Agent Super Dragon comes out of retirement to investigate a case of poisoned chewing gum that leads inexplicably to an international crime syndicate planning to take over the world with psychotropic drugs smuggled in phony Ming vases.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060956/ This is the first Eurospy movie sent up by the SOL crew. Information * The film was released in the United States by United Screen Arts on a double feature with The One Eyed Soldiers. The Episode Host Segments Prologue: Crow and Tom build a robot named Minsky, and Joel assumes that its annoying and repetitive behavior is just the opening act of its capabilities. He's wrong. Segment One (Invention Exchange): Down in Deep 13, Dr. F is away at a class reunion. Frank is flying solo and comes up with Virtual Comedy. Dr. F returns in time to inject a bit of realism to Frank's virtual stand-up gig, whereupon the SOL crew present microscope slide Micro-Golf. Segment Two: Tom's jazzy "Secret Agent Super Dragon" theme certainly isn't commercial and is mildly repetitive, but Joel knows just how to spice it up. Segment Three: Joel & the Bots read through Crow's latest screenplay: "The Spy Who Hugged Me", a sensitive 90's style film. Segment Four: Joel & the Bots discuss the vital nature of spy-movie post-kill puns. Segment Five: Dr. Forrester has a supervillain conference call with the Satellite of Love, teaching the basics of starting up your own supervillain franchise. Stinger: Henchman jumps Super Dragon, complete with xylophone accompaniment. Callbacks * “Baby baby baby... I killed that fat barkeep.” (The Beatniks) * “Any talent to declare?” (Warrior of the Lost World) * A mention of Ward E (Stranded in Space) * “…but there was no monster.” (Monster A-Go Go) Obscure References *''"...Chy-Chy Rodrigweez."'' During the Invention Exchange, Tom mis-pronounces the name of golfer Ch-Chi Rodriguez in the same manner as fictional news reporter Les Nessman (played by actor Richard Sanders) from the TV series WKRP in Cincinnati. * (A fly buzzes around a car tire) "Help me! Help me!" Reference to the 1958 science fiction film ''The Fly''. *''"If Fritz Hollings were Supermarionation."'' Ernest Frederick "Fritz" Hollings was a Democratic senator from South Carolina. Supermarionation was a process created by Gerry Anderson to make especially elaborate marionettes, used most famously in the television show Thunderbirds. *"Secret Agent Mary Kay!" Mary Kay is a cosmetics company where the top salespeople (typically women) can earn themselves a pink Cadillac, like the one in the movie. *''"Coleman smells something burning." "Well, they make stoves."'' Coleman is a sporting goods company that specializes in camping gear, including camping stoves. *''"Bert Convy, P.I.!"'' Bert Convy was an American actor/singer who later in his career became a TV game show host. Super Dragon looks a bit like him. *''"He's like a white trash Q!"'' Q (short for "quartermaster") is the master gadget maker in the James Bond spy films. *''"You see, it's called The Family Circus. Billy drew the strip today."'' ''The Family Circus'' is a one-panel syndicated newspaper comic created by Bil Keane. On certain occasions, 7-year-old character Billy will "draw" one of the daily strips. *''"Hey, it's Rula Lenska's place."'' Rula Lenska is a British actress who appeared in an American advertising campaign that confounded many viewers. *''"Mario Cuomo?"'' Mario Cuomo is a former governor of New York. *''"In that light, she looks just like Geddy Lee!"'' Geddy Lee is the vocalist/bass player/keyboardist/sommelier for the prog-rock band Rush. *''"I think you need a rest in Ward E..."'' In Stranded in Space (episode 305), "Ward E" is a mind control/lobotomy center where free-thinkers are sent; there is a similarity between the two interiors. *''"It's Herb from Burger King!"'' The mysterious, nebbish-y Herb (who was supposedly the only man in America who had never eaten a Whopper sandwich) was the center of Burger King's 1985 Where's Herb? advertising campaign, which encouraged people to try to find him in order to win prizes. *''"His chin looks like a Parker House roll!"'' A Parker House roll is a half-oval-shaped bread roll invented at the Parker House Hotel in Boston. *"Bon voyage!" "Charlie Brown!" [[wikipedia:Bon_Voyage,_Charlie_Brown_(and_Don't_Come_Back!!)|''Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (And Don't Come Back!)]] is a 1980 animated film featuring characters from the Peanuts comic strip. *"Conrad Pooh and his inflatable knees."'' 'Joel is conflating two different sketches from Monty Python's Flying Circus: it's Ken Buddha who possesses inflatable knees, while Conrad Poohs has dancing teeth. *''"Mary had a little lamb..."'' Servo is riffing on the poor quality of the audio from Super Dragon's pocket tape recorder by imitating the first phonograph recording (including static), which was Thomas Edison slowly reciting the popular nursery rhyme. *''"One word, Ben: plastics."'' A rather famous mis-quote from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Graduate The Graduate]. The full quote is viewable '''here. *''"I've got some lupins!"'' A reference to the Dennis Moore' '''sketches from Monty Python's Flying Circus. John Cleese plays a misguided highwayman (also prone to digression) who, instead of stealing valuables, robs coach passengers of their flowers, which he gives to the poor. The poor are soon less than appreciative. '' *''"Oh boy, this has all the markings of a Clay Shaw party!"'' New Orleans businessman Clay Shaw was accused of conspiracy in connection with John F. Kennedy's assassination. His trial ended in acquittal. *''"I'm comin', Elizabeth!"'' Phrase often said by Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx) while faking a heart attack on the TV series ''Sanford and Son''. *''"I hope this isn't like a John Waters film where they lick all the furniture."'' ''Pink Flamingos'' is the movie directed by John Waters in which the furniture-licking happens. *''"Picture Picture's showin' us Holland."'' A reference to the show Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood; Picture Picture was a framed picture on the wall of Mr. Rogers' house that could "come alive" and show movies when he asked it to. The reference is mostly suggested by the tinkling music under the scene. * "Oh, no, Madame Sousatzka was here." Madame Sousatzka is a drama about a young man caught between his mother and his Russian music teacher, the eponymous Madame Sousatzka. It was referred to several times on MST3K, most notably during Mike and Crow's competition during the closing credits of Alien from L.A. *"Mr Ross, who owns the bowling alley on Marlboro Street." "Oh, where the flavor is." "Come to where the flavor is" was an advertising campaign slogan for Marlboro cigarettes (the ads typically referred to Marlboro Country). *''"Oh, Oscar, Oscar, Oscar!"'' The Odd Couple is a comedy (first a stage play, then a film, then a TV series with multiple incarnations) about Oscar and Felix, two divorced men living together. Oscar is very messy (Crow utters the line when an unmade bed appears in the movie) and Felix is tidy and fussy and constantly remonstrates Oscar for his sloppy habits. *''"Only to find Gideon's Bible."'' Joel is quoting the Beatles' song "Rocky Raccoon", which in turn is referencing Gideons International, an evangelical group whose primary mission is distributing Bibles for free. They were especially known for leaving them in hotel rooms. Video Release *Commercially released on DVD by Rhino in October 2007 as part of The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection: Volume 12, a 4-DVD set with The Rebel Set, The Starfighters, and Parts: The Clonus Horror. **The set was re-released by Shout! Factory in October 2019. ***The DVD features a trailer for the original film as well as The Mystery Science Theater Hour Jack Perkins wraps for this episode. Headline text Category:MST3K Episodes Category:Season 5 Category:Foreign Film Category:Mystery Science Theater Hour Episodes Category:Spy film Category:Unrated movies Category:Directed by Trace Beaulieu